DR Congo mourns as 127 feared dead in boat sinking

19 April, 2019 12:00 AM

BUKAVU: Democratic Republic of Congo President Felix Tshisekedi has declared Friday a day of mourning with 114 people still missing days after a boat capsized on Lake Kivu, killing 13, the presidency said.

He has also decided to make it obligatory for passengers on the lake, the site of regular drownings, to wear lifebuoys, Tshisekedi’s office said in a statement, reports AFP.

The motorised boat, known locally as a pirogue, had left the city of Goma on Lake Kivu’s northern shore, and was headed for the town of Kalehe to the west when it capsized Monday night.

According to the passenger manifest, which does not list stowaways, there were 49 adults and seven children on board the vessel, laden with goods.

On Tuesday, emergency services said 35 people had been rescued alive.

Apollinaire Bulindi, an honorary provincial minister and engineer urged Tshisekedi on Tuesday to make good on a campaign pledge to repair the Goma-Bukavu highway that many of the drowned passengers may have taken but is currently unusable.

River transport is one of the most used in DR Congo with its numerous waterways. Boat mishaps are common on the lakes and rivers of the resource-rich but impoverished former Belgian colony.

Accidents are typically caused by overloading of passengers and cargo on rickety vessels. The toll is often heavy because there are no life jackets and many Congolese do not know how to swim.